How Will OpenAI and SoftBank Back SB Energy Data Centres?

OpenAI and SoftBank Group have jointly committed US$1bn to SB Energy as part of a strategic partnership to build and operate next-generation AI data centres under the Stargate Project. 

The move strengthens SB Energy’s role as a development and execution partner for hyperscale data centre campuses as demand for AI compute accelerates across the US.

The partnership builds on the US$500bn Stargate commitment unveiled at the White House earlier this year. OpenAI and SoftBank Group will each invest US$500m in SB Energy, supporting the company’s expansion as a specialist in large-scale data centre and energy infrastructure delivery.

Alongside the equity investment, OpenAI has selected SB Energy to build and operate its previously announced 1.2GW data centre site in Milam County, Texas. The facility represents the initial phase of OpenAI’s next-generation AI data centre buildout and will be a cornerstone of its future compute strategy.

Scaling AI compute through campus development

SB Energy is currently developing several multi-gigawatt data centre campuses across the US, with initial facilities under construction and expected to enter service from 2026. 

The funding is designed to accelerate these programmes while supporting the integration of power generation and grid infrastructure alongside compute.

Greg Brockman, Co-Founder and President of OpenAI, says: “Partnering with SB Energy brings together their strength in data centre infrastructure and energy development and OpenAI's deep domain expertise in data centre engineering. The result is a fast, reliable way to scale compute through large, highly optimised AI data centres.”

The Milam County project is expected to create thousands of construction jobs and has been designed to minimise water usage. 

SB Energy also plans to develop new generation capacity to support the data centre’s energy needs, with the stated aim of protecting Texas ratepayers while meeting the site’s significant power demand.

Integrating energy and data centre delivery

The partnership formalises a non-exclusive preferred model for data centre development that combines OpenAI’s first-party data centre design with SB Energy’s experience in speed of delivery, cost discipline and integrated energy provision. The approach is intended to enable repeatable, purpose-built AI infrastructure at scale.

Rich Hossfeld, co-CEO of SB Energy, says: “SB Energy's strategic partnership with OpenAI accelerates our delivery of advanced AI data centre campuses and associated energy infrastructure at the scale required to advance Stargate and secure America's AI future. We are grateful for our longstanding sponsor SoftBank Group and new partner OpenAI for their investment in our platform, our team, and our long-term vision.”

Beyond infrastructure, SB Energy will become a major customer of OpenAI, using its APIs and deploying ChatGPT internally across its workforce. The arrangement reflects the growing convergence between data centre operators and AI platform providers as both sides seek tighter alignment between compute, software and operational efficiency.

Strengthening in-house delivery capability

To support its expanding data centre business, SB Energy recently acquired Studio 151, a specialist data centre construction management, procurement, engineering and operations firm. 

Studio 151 brings experience across more than 20 data centre campuses and is expected to enhance SB Energy’s in-house capability across the full lifecycle of development and operations.

Abhijeet Sathe, co-CEO of SB Energy, says: “Over the past 18 months, SB Energy and OpenAI have worked closely with Studio 151 across multiple data centre projects, and their technical expertise and execution discipline has been exceptional. Bringing these capabilities in-house strengthens our ability to deliver repeatable campuses at scale and with certainty.”

The acquisition complements SB Energy’s existing platform and supports its ambition to standardise delivery across multiple hyperscale sites while maintaining schedule certainty for AI customers.

Capital backing for long-term growth

The OpenAI and SoftBank investment follows earlier funding secured by SB Energy to support its expansion. In 2025, Ares Infrastructure Opportunities funds invested US$800m of redeemable preferred equity in the company, marking the third financing from Ares since 2020.

With capital, design expertise and integrated energy delivery aligned under the Stargate partnership, SB Energy is positioned to play a central role in the rollout of large-scale AI data centres designed specifically for the next generation of compute-intensive workloads.